Taylor touts track record

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor said her history of supporting conservative issues is what makes her stand out from the opposition in the race for Ohio governor in 2018.

“On the Republican side, from a primary perspective, I am the conservative in the race,” Taylor said following a speech to the Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. “It’s not just my words — everybody says they’re conservative, my opponents are saying it — but my track record proves it. My record in the legislature. My willingness to challenge the status quo and take on my own Republican party because I refused to vote for a tax increase.

“I am the one that has the record of challenging the status quo in the private sector and also in the work that I’ve done since being elected to office.”

Taylor is one of nine candidates who have declared their intentions to seek the governor’s office in 2018. Other Republicans in the race are Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted, and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci.

Democrats who’ve entered the fray are former State Rep. Connie Pillich, State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, former U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley.

The Green Party’s candidate is Constance Gadell-Newton, a Columbus attorney.

Noting that five of the nine declared candidates are women, Taylor said she is encouraged by the fact that more women have become involved in Ohio politics.

“I think that’s a positive,” she said. “A woman at the table makes a difference. I think that it’s a voice that should be heard. I’m excited that we have women running, on all sides, that want to get involved this way. … You never know, we may end up with a woman governor — the first elected woman governor.”

Nancy Hollister, who was lieutenant governor to Gov. George Voinovich, served as governor for 11 days in 1999 when Voinovich resigned on Dec. 31, 1998, after being elected to the U.S. Senate.

Questions from the audience at the chamber luncheon covered a variety of issues, including the opioid epidemic plaguing Ohio and many other states. Sharing that her own family has been adversely affected by drug addiction, Taylor said the need for more prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation options is paramount.

“There is not a simple answer to this problem,” she said. “We have taken some steps that are helping; shutting down pill mills. … Recently, we issued regulations — I believe they went into effect Aug. 1 — limiting the number of pain pills that can be prescribed for acute pain. Seven days if you’re an adult; five days if you’re a child. I think that is an extraordinary step in the right direction.”

Taylor addressed the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as President Donald Trump’s response in the wake of the clashes between white supremacist organizations and counter protesters.

“There is no place in our society for racism and the hatred and bigotry that we’re seeing come out of groups like the KKK and other white supremacy groups,” she said. “The president needed to be more clear about that, and I think it was a missed opportunity on his part not to be more clear.”

Continuing her comments on national politics, she noted that Congress needs “to focus on the things that matter to us as people.”

“… getting to the business of overhauling the tax code, repealing Obamacare,” she said. “Replace it, but replace it with common sense. The worst thing that can happen is a bunch of bad Republican mandates to replace what I view are a bunch of bad Democrat mandates. They need to take regulatory reform seriously. We have a huge need for infrastructure. I want them to focus on those issues, and if they would, I think we would all be better off for it.”

The lieutenant governor said she and her team are keenly aware of the possibility of a negative trickle-down effect on GOP candidates in Ohio during the 2018 election cycle.

“What happens in Washington always impacts elections in a state like Ohio,” she said. “Typically, when the president’s party in the mid-term doesn’t do as well — think about 2006, it was Bush’s second mid-term — I was the only Republican to win statewide. We lost everything else to the Democrats and then two years later the Ohio House of Representatives turned to Democrat. We pay attention to that.”

Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor speaks to members of the Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce during its Third Thursday luncheon at SourcePoint. Taylor is running for Ohio governor in 2018. She is one of four Republicans who have declared their intention to seek the governor’s office.

http://www.sunburynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2017/08/web1_TAYLOR-081817.jpgOhio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor speaks to members of the Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce during its Third Thursday luncheon at SourcePoint. Taylor is running for Ohio governor in 2018. She is one of four Republicans who have declared their intention to seek the governor’s office. Andrew Carter | The Gazette

Governor’s race rolls through Delaware

By Andrew Carter

acarter@delgazette.com

Reach Andrew Carter at 740-413-0900. Follow him on Twitter @DelOhioEditor.